Winchester, Virginia Demographics 2026

Population Overview

Winchester is located in Virginia with a total population of 27,981. It is the 64th most populous county out of 133 in Virginia.

Age Demographics

The median age in Winchester is 36.7 years. This is 5% lower than the state median of 38.8 years.

Economy, Income & Housing

The median household income in Winchester is $64,648. This is 29% lower than the state median of $90,974. It is also 18% lower than the national median of $78,538. The poverty rate stands at 19.3%. This is 95% higher than the state poverty rate of 9.9%. The unemployment rate is 5.9%. This is 36% higher than the state rate of 4.3%. The median home value is $325,900. Housing costs are 10% lower than the state median of $360,700. The home-value-to-income ratio is 5.0x. 41.9% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied. This homeownership rate is 38% lower than the state average of 67.2%.

Race & Ethnicity

The largest racial or ethnic group in Winchester is White (non-Hispanic), making up 62.7% of the population. Hispanic or Latino residents account for 20.1%. The Black or African American population (8.8%) is well below the state average of 18.4%. The Hispanic or Latino population is significantly higher than the state average (20.1% vs 10.7%). The Asian population (2.3%) is well below the state average of 6.8%.

Education

31.6% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher. This is 24% lower than the state rate of 41.5%. Nationally, 35.0% of adults hold at least a bachelor's degree. The high school graduation rate (or equivalent) is 86.5%.

Data Sources & Methodology

All figures for Winchester come from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates (2019-2023), with comparisons drawn against Virginia and national averages from the same dataset. See our methodology page for how each metric is defined, or data.census.gov for official tables with margins of error.